HMT Cerealia

[Tony Walker]

I have a WWI OHMS naval cover - see illustration, with a pencilled attribution "HMT Cerealia" on the front.  London mc of 23 FEB 1916, addressed to The Controller, Post Office Savings Bank, West Kensington, London.

The PASSED / BY CENSOR. mark, bottom right in blue measures 22.5mm (bottom line) x 7mm top to bottom, very close to Goulds 4C226 which is 22 x 7 which Michael says in Hannibal

Bottom left you have a printed Reg. No. followed by a ms G1661 LBB (or possibly LBR) all in the same hand

Cerealia was a Hired trawler from Grimsby, Admiralty no 674, originally named Gudrun.  She survived the war but was wrecked in the Sound of Islay in 1920.

Hannibal was a pre-dreadnought battleship on guardship duties off the Humber when war broke out, before transferring to Scapa Flow. At the time of this cover she was being disarmed and later undertook troopship duties in the Med. 

I understood most trawlers were centred around a mother or depot ship which took their mails for censoring and bagging - which suggests Hannibal would not be that ship in this instance.

Any light shed on the cover will be appreciated

[Frank Schofield]

Tony

Cannot see how this could be Hannibal, she was sent to the Dardanelles as a troopship in Sept 1915, then base ship at Alexandria Nov 15 - 1919

Cerealia is listed in the 1915/1916 Navy Lists but no skipper listed. Cannot find any mention of being in the Med

Frank Schofield